Niall’s excellent review and subsequent discussion broached the topic of his cover art and their appallingness overall.
I think the attached link has them all
Perhaps after this we can go to the much harder task of the worst album cover (maybe that should be post 2000 coz after then there are just too many outstandingly bad covers).
But anyway nominate your best. Perhaps a screen shot of your nomination will help. I’ll add mine in the comments.
I vote for It’s Too Late To Stop Now.
http://www.onemusicapi.com/artists/album-covers/Van-Morrison.html
I’ve tried to Imgur the inner sleeve of this several times but to no avail, never mind the outer cover the inner gatefold is the one.
For some reason Imgur wouldn’t do the full gatefold.
{“data”:{“error”:”Imgur is temporarily over capacity. Please try again later.”},”success”:false,”status”:403}
Is that the legendarily elusive boot of the never released second volume of Latest Record Project?
That’s because you’re using a VPN. Imgur doesn’t like it.
That was my pick! From typeface to image.
St Dominic’s Preview
Veedon Fleece
Days like These
His worst ones?
Impossible to choose there are just so many
Veedon Fleece always looks like they screwed up the colours in production.
The main problem is that Van seems to insist that his mug is prominently displayed on the vast majority of his albums. Whilst I love his music, it would seem pretty obvious that since the 70s his looks have perhaps not been a strong selling factor.
My vote would be for Astral Weeks or St Dominic’s but overall it’s thin gruel.
You mean like this ?
I think that’s the worst one. Although there’s also Sense of Wonder, where it looks like he’s peering through your letterbox on Christmas Day.
I rather charitably put the ill-advised Brian Ferry gaucho look down to his brief flirtation with Scientology around that time
That one front and back is probably the worst – going for the gaucho peeping tom vibe. Best clearly Philosopher’s Stone – no actual Van involved.
He was in his Boffyflow era…
Hard Nose, every time. Love it.
Yes that’s a great choice and somehow matches the sometimes baroque music. Plus no angry old badger face glaring out..
Wow, that’s the worst for me. Probably Moondance
Astral Weeks… by miles.
Also in our new feature other ‘difficult questions of the day’…
Is Boris Johnson a fat b’stard?
Will Arsenal finish second?
Down the Road – the one with the record shop window.
Astral Weeks is my second choice, and then Hymns to the Silence. Both of those two have covers that look like how the music sounds.
Common One
His Band And the Street Choir
Astral Weeks
Moondance
Into The Music
Tupelo Honey
– All ok and representative of the music at the time they were released I think.
Astral Weeks is the one, not that it suffers from too much competition.
Of the others, I’m going for “mostly harmless” i.e. Philosopher’s Stone. Unless Van is in some really good camo, gurning away in plain sight, it’s just some standing stones in a field.
If you study them for long enough stones reveal themselves as being a gigantic pork pie hat
Veedon Fleece – because its got big dogs.
When asked if the dogs were his in an interview, Van began banging on about how certain people thought your album covers were your life or something.
Sometimes a simple “no” will suffice, Van, old chap
I was hoping this would be a thread containing VTM cover versions.
That’ll be coming soon, over at Cover Me, where a list of the 50 best is being collated as you write.
Do post a link when it’s done Retro
Poor old VTM almost always looks like he’s squeezing out a cheeky fart on album covers. St Dominic – that’s a ‘one cheek sneak’ if ever there was one.
Well, that would explain the seam beginning to open on his keks, high on the inner thigh!
If that be the case what of the high kicks on The Last Waltz?
I thought he was trying to drop-kick imaginary turkeys into the crowd for Thanksgiving.
I suspect he may have been partaking in the mountains of white powder that were too big to make it up Neil Young’s nostril
Depending on the album, you can play ‘Van drops one’. Have the album sleeve ready… blow a raspberry, and then look at ‘It’s Too Late to Stop Now’. Or, look at ‘Poetic champions Compose’ and make a ‘pffft’ noise. Or make a ‘freeeep’ noise while looking at ‘St Dominic’s Preview’. Hours of childish fun.
I think one of the most disturbing ones (out of the very many) is the cover for Astral Weeks Live, where he prominently displays his new Turkey Teeth and looks like he hasn’t quite grasped the concept of ‘smiling’.
The death rictus of Van’s smile is not a look that does him any favors
To be fair it takes practise, smiling. He hasn’t had a lot.
I’ll nominate Back on Top as his best. It benefits from lack of detail.
He probably looks his best on Wavelength.
Yeah. Positively buff
The colourful psychedelic Blowin’ Your Mind! cover – And the contents thereof. Fabulous pop tunes, with backing by Eric Gale, Hugh McCracken and the Sweet Inspirations, plus it caused Van to make what became the Contractual Obligation album which is 30 or so silly songs like Ringworm and You Say France And I Whistle, all in Van voice. Van hating it is also a bonus
That’d really piss him off. No royalties and his best album cover!